It’s essential for entrepreneurs to celebrate their successes, not just to relish the milestones, but also to motivate the team before moving on to the next benchmark. This can be a challenge for many small business founders, but it’s an essential feature to make the team feel cohesive. If you’re wondering how to do that, check out what several famous entrepreneurs have said about celebrating success.
Richard Branson
When Branson hit the major milestone of having his SpaceShipTwo vehicle touch the edge of space, he celebrated with his Virgin Galactic team. “Many of us cried tears of joy when we reached space, and the air really was filled with love as we celebrated the milestone flight. It certainly was for two of our wonderful team,” Branson wrote in a blog post. “I loved how Virgin Galactic CEO George Whiteside urged us all to hug it out after the flight. What a special moment in the desert sunshine, with our spaceship glistening in the background.”
Arianna Huffington
The founder of the Huffington Post and Thrive Global notes that celebration is key to both major and minor benchmarks. “Reaching milestones should be celebrated, of course, but we don’t need to wait for a big promotion or project to be proud of the work we’re doing,” Huffington said on LinkedIn. Celebrate the big and small victories to ensure that your team members know they’re valued and that you’re aware of everything the group is accomplishing.
Larry Ellison
When Oracle Team USA won the America’s Cup trophy after a shockingly tight comeback, team owner Larry Ellison told his crew, “Hey guys, you just won America’s Cup!” His move to immediately fete his crew rather than take the credit himself was a celebration that put the focus on his team. “On your own, you’re nothing,” Ellison said. “But when you’ve got a team like this around you, they can make you look great. It’s a fantastic team.”
Gary Vaynerchuk
The VaynerMedia founder wrote that he doesn’t believe he’s as good about celebrating the small wins as he should be, and pledged to improve in that area. “Acknowledging that we are doing great work is important,” Vaynerchuk said. “I want VaynerMedia to be a place where we celebrate our wins.” The fact that he acknowledged the importance of celebrating was a great first step in his effort to begin making it a high priority.
